The "nobles in Poland, while attempting to hold and even to extend their privileges, had in a certain sense quite liberal ideas, though in practice thee ideas had by the 18tn centüry ceased to be of válue to the nation. They showed A great respect for individual opin-fons, but this was exaggerated by the fidoption of the principle of Liberum Veto into giving the individual a Fight to render ineffective any motion or resolution of Parliament even When adopted by an overwhelming thajority of votes. Although they jealously guarded their rights which Were enshrined in the principle of golden freedom and even tried to extend them, the Polish nobles liberally admitted to the status of nobility and on an equal footing large numbers of deserving applicants notwithstanding their origin, But in spite of this the townspeople and the peasafitry as a whole did not, at that time, possess full rights of citizenship, Already her best sons had warned Poland against the unchecked free-lom of the nobles, but in vain, and 3t was because of their persistence in these mistaken ideas that the downfall of the Polish State was brought about,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.